This is beginning to feel like the hard bit of the project. I hadn’t anticipated how exhausting sorting through my “stuff” would be, like a lot of people (I guess) I’ve literally got a lifetime of possessions that I have to decide what to do with. Although there is a lot that will go for the first 6 months I’ll be putting most things into storage, begging space off friends or in the case of precious family treasures asking my sister to look after them for not just me but the kids. Call it a safety net, if I decide that life on board isn’t for me then I want to easily be able to go back…. if it is then there will be a giant garage sale – storage is expensive here. I briefly considered renting the house furnished but if something breaks I have to repair it and the idea of strangers and their kids climbing over my stuff, that I may want to use again, doesn’t appeal (I’d rather sell it).
Had a gardener in yesterday too, he’s done a lot of pruning and chopped down some bigger hedging trees to get the garden ready for spring and in shape for being rented, he’ll be back in a month for another go and I may decide to offer him maintenance duties on an ongoing basis.
Spent some time on Ché too, removed a lot of my personal stuff and took some photos – she gets listed on Monday. The advice is sell her before I buy anything else which makes a lot of sense, two boats will quickly get expensive. Unless of course I find the perfect new boat at the right price and then all bets are off. I have to make sure that she isn’t overpriced when she’s listed, don’t want to put off potential buyers but I want to get as much as I can for her. When I first brought her I was told that I should look at buying the boat as an alternative to the expensive overseas holiday I didn’t have (and haven’t had since). If I take that attitude then she actually owes me very little – the cost of the new engine and a little more. I need to go back very soon with some good cleaning products (job for next week).
In my eyes everything is looking tired and in need of a spruce up.. house, garden, Ché and me… it must be the end of winter and time for a really good spring clean, I just hope that I have the emotional energy for it.
On the positive side I’ve had a great response from the 1020 Owners Assn who I asked for ideas, even have a boat to look at that may be for sale.
landtoseanz 